


The Joke's on You

by Finely Honed (jaqen_hgar)



Series: Imagine Tony & Bucky [21]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Falling In Love, Idiots in Love, M/M, Mama Bear Bucky, Oblivious Tony, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Protective Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers Is a Good Bro, Tony Stark Needs Sleep
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-28
Updated: 2015-03-28
Packaged: 2018-03-20 01:42:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3631893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaqen_hgar/pseuds/Finely%20Honed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <span class="small">Prompt: Tony is pulling a working stint and usually Bucky is okay with them and lets Tony come back to him on his own...but it's been 50+ hours and Bucky's starting to get worried. P.S Bucky deals with a super sleepy (and not at all incredibly adorable) and stubborn Tony. <i>AND:</i> Imagine Avengers prank war = all of Tony’s clothes get glued to the floor. Bucky walks in while he’s naked, trying to pull his pants off the ground… <i>AND:</i> Imagine Bucky coming to live at the Tower and seeing how Tony’s always nonstop working on something for the team and doesn’t he ever sleep? The rest of the Avengers either don’t notice he’s coming apart at the seams or just assume he’s fine as always.</span>
</p>
<p>“This isn’t what it looks like.”</p>
<p>Bucky arched an eyebrow, and ran a hand over his face, pushing his smile aside before Tony could see it.</p>
<p>"It isn’t?"</p>
<p>"Uh…" Tony cleared his throat. "Well. I guess that depends on what you think it looks like."</p>
<p>"It looks," Bucky drawled, gesturing around them, "like you’re naked, surrounded by clothes, and that you were trying to pull your pants off the floor. And failing. Miserably."</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Joke's on You

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted over on [imaginetonyandbucky.tumblr.com](http://imaginetonyandbucky.tumblr.com/). Be sure to stop on over and also enjoy the amazing contributions of [Potrix](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Potrix/pseuds/Potrix), [27dragons](http://archiveofourown.org/users/27dragons/pseuds/27dragons), [InnerCinema](http://archiveofourown.org/users/InnerCinema), and [kamaete](http://kamaete.tumblr.com/)!

“This isn’t what it looks like.”

Bucky arched an eyebrow, and ran a hand over his face, pushing his smile aside before Tony could see it.

"It isn’t?"

Tony shuffled, then shivered, coughed, and drummed his fingers nervously against the back of his chair. The silence stretched out uncomfortably, Tony glancing down quickly to make sure the back of the chair was still functioning as an effective shield.

"Uh…" Tony cleared his throat. "Well. I guess that depends on what you think it looks like."

"It looks," Bucky drawled, gesturing around them, "like you’re naked, surrounded by clothes, and that you were trying to pull your pants off the floor. And failing. Miserably."

Tony opened his mouth to answer, but interrupted himself with an epic yawn. Bucky pressed his lips together, struggling not to grin.

Tony looked exhausted, but not awful in the way most people looked when exhausted, because that would be too easy. No, he had to look younger somehow, and a bit vulnerable, hair sticking up every which way, as if he’d been running his fingers through it all night. He needed a shave, and there were dark circles under his eyes, but the eyes in question looked warm, and dreamy, and for all he knew, Tony was already asleep on his feet.

Bucky sighed, and tried not to let his eyes wander too much. Tony was most definitely stark naked—pun absolutely intended—his naughty bits only hidden by the back of the chair, but the rest of him was on display. Arms and chest and shoulders and muscular  _thighs_. He had to close his eyes a moment for sanity’s sake.

It wasn’t fair, really, because Bucky had already been spending an exorbitant amount of time daydreaming about what Tony might look like out of his clothes, and now here he was, in the altogether. Not exactly under the circumstances Bucky had been hoping for, but…

Well.

Walking in to see Tony’s naked backside on display while he struggled to pick his pants off the floor had still been sort of like Christmas and his birthday all rolled up in one.

+

The first month or so living in the Tower, Bucky had been so distracted by his own shit that Tony hadn’t even been a blip on his radar. Stark was just the guy who occasionally made an entrance, dropped inappropriate humor on the group, threw around some nicknames, then gave a bunch of excuses for leaving.

Later, though, he’d taken note of the affectionately exasperated, yet highly respectful way Steve talked about Tony, had watched how Captain America and Iron Man worked together, and decided that anyone Steve liked that much was worthy of consideration.

So, Bucky had started paying attention. Of course, once he started, he couldn’t stop, and unlike the others, he didn’t dismiss or accept all of the ways in which Tony rather spectacularly neglected himself.

It wasn’t like the others didn’t care. They absolutely did, and were only taking Tony at his word. He had a reputation for being a workaholic, and if Pepper had been unable to get him to change, then what chance did any of them have?

If Bucky had been a different sort of person, he might have done the same thing, but he had himself a long history of watching out for stubborn little guys. He didn’t really have a choice in the matter; Tony was like catnip to someone with a mothering compulsion.

He didn’t sleep enough. From what he gathered, that used to mean 36 hour days and way too much coffee. Slowly, after the Avengers moved in and Pepper moved out, the sleep to wakefulness ratio had shifted with sleep on the losing side of the equation, but the team hadn’t seen this as a warning sign. Tony’s schedule would be considered jam packed _before_  you factored in actual Avenger-ing. Once Avenger activities increased, the demand for equipment upgrades and repairs did the same, which meant the sleep to wakefulness ratio shifted yet again.

It didn’t help that Tony tended to keep himself separate from the others most of the time. It wasn’t like he was rude, or purposefully avoiding them. If someone stopped by the workshop, they were never turned away. If you called Tony, or sent a text, you got a reply. He’d show up for movie nights about half the time, always had dinner with the team after a battle, and oddly enough he actually attended all of Steve’s debriefings. Bucky was convinced he was actually working in his own head while in attendance, paying just enough attention to be able to make jokes designed to show he’d heard what had been said.

Equipment upgrades kept flowing from the workshop, Iron Man kept kicking ass in battles, and Stark Industries stocks were at an all time high, so it was no wonder everyone left him to his own devices.

But…

Bucky noticed the way Tony would often appear to be on the outside looking in, a sad, wistful look in his eyes when watching the others interact. It reminded him of the look he’d seen in Steve’s eyes countless time growing up, when he’d watched the healthier kids get picked for teams, or run off to play together without a care in the world, while he sat on the sidelines. Bucky had always found ways to include him, but that didn’t stop Steve from feeling different, and wanting something more.

These days, Steve didn’t need him like that, which was a gift. Bucky was happy about that, because he still had dreams of the “good old days” every once in awhile, ones where he woke up with the sound of Steve’s labored breathing still echoing in his ears.

Bucky was the sort of guy who  _needed_  to take care of someone. Post HYDRA brainwashing, this was more important to him than ever, a fundamental truth of himself that he desperately wished to return to. Even though everyone else on the team was far from what any sane person would consider okay, they didn’t need (or want) his help.

But Tony? Tony most definitely needed help. Tony needed a fucking intervention as far as Bucky was concerned, even if no one else could see it. Unlike Iron Man, or the brilliant mind behind Stark Industries,  _Tony_  didn’t have a life anymore. He walked around like a zombie, or like he was one of the empty suits of armor. It was going to take something drastic, like falling out of another wormhole, before anyone forced him to take a break, do something nice for himself, and maybe get some goddamned sleep already!

So, Bucky didn’t have a choice.

+

It started simple. He began bringing Tony food down in the workshop. Half the time he wound up eating it, because Bucky quickly realized that, despite his tendency to burn the candle at both ends, Tony never forgot to eat. There were snacks stashed everywhere, and they weren’t garbage, either. Nuts and dried fruit were very popular down there, and once when he’d stopped by Tony had pulled a carrot out of his back pocket, taken a big bite, and done his best Bugs Bunny impression, leveling a stunned Bucky with, “Ehhh, what’s up, doc?”

He also took personal hygiene breaks, which was probably another reason Tony was able to escape scrutiny over his sleeplessness. According to Tony, he did some of his best thinking while in the shower, and he hated smelling bad. Besides, he tended to get shoved in front of cameras rather frequently, and often without advanced notice, so showers and wardrobe changes happened on a fairly regular schedule.

Sleep was what Tony needed, which wasn’t exactly something Bucky could bring down a mug of in the middle of the night. So, he settled for bringing his own company instead, which he figured was the next best thing. He might not be able to get Tony to take a nap, but he could at least get him to take a break from working. Watch some stupid TV, catch him up on the gossip of the Tower so he actually felt connected to life there, play countless games of Gin Rummy.

It wasn’t enough, but it was something. Bucky could only stick with it, all the while hoping that just by having a friend around, Tony might realize his efforts were noticed, appreciated. Maybe knowing that would be enough, and Tony would finally cut himself some slack.

+

Minor hiccup. Tony Stark didn’t react logically to Bucky’s positive reinforcement.

"You know, we all really appreciate that last round of upgrades," Bucky said one night. "Thanks."

Tony’s head popped out of the armor, his eyes narrowed. “The balance is still all wrong on Clint’s sticky arrows. Steve and I already talked about it.”

"Huh?"

He twirled a wrench, then gestured to the suit. “I only need another two and a half hours on this, then I’ll get back to work.”

Bucky blinked. “No, I just meant, uh… I thought we could have some dinner with the gang, then maybe relax?”

"This  _is_ relaxing. I’m working on the suit. Did Clint say something? Or…” He tossed the wrench down, and sighed. “No, you’re right. Shit. JARVIS, pull up the specs?”

Which JARVIS did. Tony walked away from whatever iteration of the suit he was up to now, and began working on Clint’s arrows instead, much to Bucky’s dismay. He ordered in, and hunkered down, kicking himself for having said anything at all.

Hours later, when he finally fell asleep on the couch nearby, Tony was on hour thirty-eight of no sleep, furrow firmly in place between his brows, shoulders bowed under the weight he’d unnecessarily placed there.

Five hours later, he woke up and found Tony standing in the middle of the workshop, a whole recalibrated and redesigned version of the sticky arrows spinning holographically in the air around him, the fully fabricated version being tossed from hand to hand.

His expression was lost and alone, until he realized Bucky was watching, and forced a smile onto his face.

+

“You work too hard,” Bucky insisted, digging his thumbs into the knots that were passing for Tony’s shoulders these days. Back and shoulder rubs were one of his more recent tactics in the quest to get Tony to sleep.

Tony shrugged. “What else am I going to do?”

Bucky caught himself at the last second before blurting, “how ‘bout me,” his fingers twitching against Tony’s skin. He forced himself to continue with the shoulder rub, his heart racing right along with his mind, because he wasn’t sure exactly when  _that_ had happened.

Once his brain caught up to his heart, there was nothing to do but notice all the ways in which he gravitated toward Tony. So, maybe that was something new he could offer that no one else in the Tower could.

Not that Tony noticed. Bucky had slipped under his radar, had gotten Tony accustomed to sharing a space with him. The team gave Bucky knowing looks and teased him, because they’d all noticed how he and Tony always sat a little too close, and touched each other more than was normal. Tony, on the other hand, simply continued on in sleep deprived obliviousness, not understanding the looks he was on the receiving end of.

+

“Just, twenty minutes,” Bucky pleaded. “As a personal favor?” Tony narrowed his eyes. “Look, I’ll beg if I have to, Tony. Please? Pretty please, just humor a veteran amputee with PTSD, and snuggle with him on the goddamn couch?”

Tony burst out laughing, put down his tools, and raised his hands in surrender. “I like the way you played on my guilt and patriotism there,” he said, plopping down on the couch beside Bucky. “Sam says this is good for you, huh?”

“No,  _I_  said it’s good for me,” Bucky corrected, pulling Tony close, and wrapping his arms around him. “Sam just agreed it wouldn’t be bad. Stevie used to humor me all the time. Still does, actually, but he’s all big and weighs a ton now, so it ain’t the same.”

Tony sniggered into Bucky’s chest, but didn’t complain. He actually wriggled closer, which meant Bucky could bury his nose in Tony’s hair, and close his eyes, and relax. Tony fit against him splendidly.

“I’ll manfully ignore the allusion to my smaller stature,” Tony said once he was comfortable.

“Your stature is  _perfect_ ,” Bucky murmured, tightening his grip on Tony.

“I can have JARVIS give you my measurements,” Tony offered. “I think there are dating sites where you can…”

“Shut up and snuggle, Tony.”

Which, surprisingly, he did.

After that, snuggle breaks became a regular thing, and occasionally they even resulted in a nap, Tony’s body not giving him a choice in the matter.

+

Spending all of his time down in the workshop nagging Tony to rest wasn’t getting anywhere, and meant that some of what he needed to be doing for himself was suffering as a result. Sam, using his most politic of voices, kindly reminded him that he’d be in no position to help Tony if he started backsliding.

Through the power of snuggles, and quite a bit of guilt tripping, Bucky eventually convinced Tony to enter into an agreement with him. Everything was couched as a personal favor to Bucky, which seemed to be easier for Tony than actually doing something nice for himself. They agreed on 36 hour check ins, where Tony would take a break, come find him.

To his absolute surprise and delight, Tony actually followed through. Sometimes it was a little earlier, sometimes a little later, if Bucky was at group, or asleep, but Tony always came to find him, and they shared some food, some bad TV, and gossip.

And snuggles.

+

He’d gone with Steve on a little road trip for a couple days, and while Tony had checked in via phone, it just wasn’t the same. Bucky wanted to hold him.

“So, gonna tell him anytime soon?” Bucky frowned and elbowed Steve. “I’m serious, Bucky. Tony’s one of the bravest people I know, but not about certain things.”

“Dunno if I’m any braver.”

Steve pulled him into a hug. “Yeah you are. Don’t worry. He’ll meet you halfway.”

+

"Tony?"

"Hm?" Tony blinked several times, grinned lopsidedly. He seemed to suddenly remember they’d been having a conversation. "Oh, right. Something’s gone horribly wrong with my pants."

“I see.”

“About time you came back, by the way,” Tony whined. “This wouldn’t have happened if you were here. I hold you accountable.”

“Really?” Bucky asked, taking a step closer. Tony shrugged, arched an eyebrow in challenge. Bucky sighed, crouched down and grabbed Tony’s pants. They didn’t budge. Face scrunched up in confusion, he tried again, a different piece of clothing, but no dice. “What the fuck?”

“It’s an all out prank war, Buck, and I’m at the epicenter!” Tony shouted, flailing his arms to prove his point. “You’ve gotta help me get,” yawn interruption, “revenge!”

Bucky examined the clothes, had an epiphany.

“JARVIS, how long has Tony been awake and working?”

Tony squeaked indignantly, as JARVIS answered, “Fifty-five hours and twenty-seven minutes.”

“Tattletale!” Bucky, despite his best efforts, burst out laughing. Tony took several steps forward before remembering he was naked, then shifted back behind the chair. “This isn’t funny! I’m betting Clint is behind it, he lives for pranks, and, and… vents! He also lives for vents, and being a sneaky fuck.”

Bucky held a hand up, got himself under control. “Tony, were you by any chance working on version one million of Clint’s sticky arrows?”

“No.” He ran a hand through his hair, and scrunched his face up. “Actually, wait, maybe. Yes. But that was hours ago, and… Huh.”

“Do I want to know why you stripped down?” Bucky asked on his way to grab the blanket thrown over the back of the couch.

“There was a reason, a very good one, but I don’t exactly recall at the moment.”

Bucky approached carefully. “For the record, I’m closing my eyes out of consideration, not outta lack of interest,” he said, wrapping the blanket around Tony’s shoulders and pulling him into a hug. “So, for some mysterious reason, you stripped, and then something went wrong with the sticky arrows, and now all of your clothes are glued to the floor. This doesn’t sound like a prank war, Tony, it sounds like a good reason to get some sleep.”

Tony stepped into the embrace, wriggling until his head was tucked against Bucky’s shoulder. “I missed you,” he said almost too softly for Bucky to hear.

“I missed you, too.”

He thought about what Steve had said, squeezed a little tighter. “You gotta stop doing this to yourself, Tony. Sleep isn’t the enemy.”

Tony sighed, pressed his nose behind Bucky’s jaw. “I know. I try. It’s quiet, and lonely, and I just lie there and think about… things.”

“I could, ah, lie down with you.”

Tony stiffened in his arms. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I know I don’t  _have_  to. I was offering cuz I want to.”

“Really?”

Bucky rocked him a bit, nuzzled against Tony’s cheek. “Yeah. If I put off telling you how much I like you any longer, Steve is gonna put me in a headlock and make me tell you.” It was quiet for a moment, but Tony didn’t step away, which was something, at least. “Since you’re brain dead from lack of sleep, I’m gonna spell it out for you. By like you, I mean, I’ll take you any way I can get you. Friends. Lovers. Whatever you want.”

Tony cleared his throat, and when he spoke, his lips brushed against Bucky’s skin. “Can I have both?”

Bucky smiled. “Sure.”

“Okay then.”

“Okay.” He pressed a kiss to Tony’s cheek. “So, first date. How about we sleep?”

Tony laughed, his body shaking against Bucky’s. “Sure, okay. Sounds like a good first date. We should go to your place, since you asked me out and all.”

Twenty minutes later, Bucky was grinning up at his ceiling. Tony was wearing a borrowed pair of pajama bottoms, and a t-shirt, was curled around him like an octopus, snoring away happily.

He was there the next night, too.

And the one after that.

And all the rest after that one.

**Author's Note:**

> That last one was TOO ANGSTY! Here, have some good feelings to make it all better! :)


End file.
